Abstract: Introduction: A Roadmap for Change Part I: Foundation 1. Basic Concepts 2. Companywide Assessment of Quality 3. Quality Improvement and Cost Reduction 4. Operational Quality Planning and Sales Income 5. Quality Control Part II: Managerial Concepts 6. Process Management 7. Organization for Quality 8. Strategic Quality Management 9. Developing a Quality Culture Part III: Functional Applications 10. Understanding Customer Needs 11. Designing for Quality 12. Supply Chain Management 13. Operations-Manufacturing Sector 14. Operations-Service Sector 15. Inspection, Test, and Measurement 16. Quality Assurance Audits Part IV: Statistical Techniques 17. Basic Concepts of Statistics and Probability 18. Statistical Tools for Analyzing Data 19. Statistical Tools for Designing for Quality 20. Statistical Process Control Appendix I: Supplementary Problems Using Minitab Appendix II: Study Guide Examples Appendix III: Tables

Abstract: This paper presents a methodology and a software tool to establish an eco-design concept of a product and its life cycle by assigning appropriate life cycle options to the components of the product. The product life cycle planning (LCP) methodology provides the following systematic procedures. First, the medium- or long-term production and collection plan for the product family is clarified. Next, target values for the product and its life cycle are set in the process of determination of customer-oriented specification and eco-specification. Then, eco-solution ideas to realize reasonable resource circulation are generated by using various life cycle option analysis charts. Finally, an eco-design concept which involves eco-solution ideas is evaluated for decision-making at early stages of product development. A design support tool was made for efficiently planning product life cycles by using quality function deployment and life cycle assessment data. Based on case studies, it was verified that the proposed methodology and tool are useful for developing multi-generational eco-products.

Abstract: This is a fully rewritten and extended version of the successful textbook “Innovation of food production systems”. It focuses on consumer-driven food product innovation using a systems-oriented approach. It integrates marketing and consumer sciences with technological aspects such as processing, logistics and information technology, and presents an integrated view of how new food product development is to be situated in a chain-oriented approach. Attention is also paid to the impact of changes in the environment of the agri-food system on food innovation, such as the changing consumer, the growing concern about food safety and new insights in human nutrition. Topics covered include changing markets, consumer perception of product quality, quality function deployment, the use of new and improved technology in food production, logistics and information technology, the role of regulation and legislation, quality management and control systems such as HACCP and TQM. The chapters of the first edition have been updated and extended. New chapters have been added, on consumer behaviour, corporate strategy, food safety and nutritional aspects of food innovation.

Abstract: Quality function deployment (QFD) is a development methodology that has been in industrial use for about 30 years. For industry professionals, it is thus important to know what type of outcomes they can expect from using QFD, but also how to behave according to best practice. In this paper, the research results from nine studies of the industrial usability of the QFD methodology have been reviewed, analysed and synthesised on a meta-level. In this meta-analysis, a new framework for the assessment of methodologies has been developed, and the QFD methodology as such has also been used as a research instrument. The results show that the previously often-cited most important outcome, 'shorter time-to-market', has no scientific support at all. The good news is that the outcomes 'better products' and 'improved information dissemination and retrieval' have strong support.

Abstract: Quality function deployment (QFD) is a development methodology that has been in industrial use for about 30 years. For industry professionals, it is thus important to know what type of outcomes they can expect from using QFD, but also how to behave according to best practice. In this paper, the research results from nine studies of the industrial usability of the QFD methodology have been reviewed, analysed and synthesised on a meta-level. In this meta-analysis, a new framework for the assessment of methodologies has been developed, and the QFD methodology as such has also been used as a research instrument. The results show that the previously often-cited most important outcome, ‘shorter time-to-market’, has no scientific support at all. The good news is that the outcomes ‘better products’ and ‘improved information dissemination and retrieval’ have strong support.

Abstract: In this paper, an approach that attempts to improve conventional quality function deployment (QFD) technique in terms of effective design knowledge handling in product concept development is proposed and described. For this purpose, a QFD-enabled product conceptualisation system was established. It consists of three cohesively interacting modules, namely, design knowledge elicitation module using laddering technique, design knowledge representation module using design knowledge hierarchy (DKH), and design knowledge organisation module using restricted Coulomb energy (RCE) neural network. A case study on wood golf club design was used to illustrate the performance of the proposed approach. From the case study, the prototype QFD-enabled product conceptualisation system has demonstrated its effectiveness in design knowledge acquisition, representation and organisation at an early stage of NPD. The details of the validation are discussed.

Abstract: Purpose – This paper is based on a benchmarking exercise involving some 164 QFD practitioners within Ford Motor Company and 27 selected external QFD companies. The predominant response “cell” was from Vehicle Centre 1, Power‐Train Systems Engineering, although there was both a US and non‐power‐train response content. The benchmarking focused on four parts: (1) criteria of success; (2) learning experience; (3) teamwork; and (4) future of QFD.Design/methodology/approach – Quality function deployment (QFD) is a bridge between the customer and the product (process/service) development community. The QFD technique translates customer requirements obtained from market research into product measurables using matrix diagrams and product development teamwork. Ideally this process continues throughout the product development cycle, from design to production, using a series of QFD phases, prioritising and trading off the key measurables at each step. The ideal result should be both perceived and actual improvements ...

Abstract: Concurrent engineering employs a set of functional disciplines to simultaneously perform the tasks that lead to a product satisfying a list of customer needs. Quality function deployment (QFD) is a methodology that has been broadly used to listen to the voice of the customer. This article intends to improve the use of QFD in concurrent engineering by adoption of axiomatic design (AD) principles, namely the independence of functional requirements and the hierarchical decomposition following a zigzag path. The conclusion is that the inclusion of these AD concepts avoids multilevel iterations in the QFD approach, which can significantly reduce the lead time and costs.

Abstract: Purpose – To use quality function deployment (QFD)/benchmarking for building an optimal activity‐based costing (ABC) model using baseline information from five different Spanish hospitals.Design/methodology/approach – The customer satisfaction benchmarking process in QFD is discussed along with the benefits of hierarchical benchmarks in specifying areas of strategic competition and the logically ensuing product/service strategic decision‐making requirements. A case study is presented to illustrate the use of two methodological approaches: benchmarking and QFD to obtain the final product of the paper: an optimal ABC.Findings – The resulting outcome from the QFD/benchmarking analysis is an ABC model, which has the customer expectations and the requirements that hospitals are looking for.Research limitations/implications – Future research can benefit from this research by expanding the scope from hospitals to other types of industries in order to comparatively analyze the applicability of the proposed tools,...

Abstract: Product planning is one of four important processes in new product development using quality function deployment (QFD), which is a widely used customer-driven approach. In this article, a hierarchical framework for product planning using QFD is developed. To tackle the fuzziness in functional relationships between customer requirements and engineering characteristics (ECs) in product planning, the least squares method is incorporated into fuzzy regression to investigate those functional relationships, by which a more central tendency can be obtained. Furthermore, a fuzzy expected value-based goal programing model is proposed to specify target values of ECs. Different from some fuzzy product planning approaches for QFD, the proposed programing model has unambiguous interpretations. An illustrated example of a quality improvement problem of emulsification dynamite-packing machine design is given to demonstrate the application and performance of the proposed approach.

Abstract: In the online world of complex and customizable products, the Internet can offer more than just electronic order forms and data transfer — it has the ability to provide customers with automated tools to custom configure products. This paper develops a basis for an online customer decision support system that offers product configurator functionality. A prototype for such a system, based upon the types of matrix methods employed in the process of quality function deployment, is described. In addition to the development of a new and functionally useful application that offers value-added implications, the prototype provides a basis for organizing and advancing important implications with respect to the key features and enablers of online custom configuration.

Abstract: Data mining algorithms usually generate a large number of rules, which may not always be useful to human users. In this project, we propose a novel visual data-mining framework, called Opportunity Map, to identify useful and actionable knowledge quickly and easily from the discovered rules. The framework is inspired by the House of Quality from Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in Quality Engineering. It associates discovered rules, related summarized data and data distributions with the application objective using an interactive matrix. Combined with drill down visualization, integrated visualization of data distribution bars and rules, visualization of trend behaviors, and comparative analysis, the Opportunity Map allows users to analyze rules and data at different levels of detail and quickly identify the actionable knowledge and opportunities. The proposed framework represents a systematic and flexible approach to rule analysis. Applications of the system to large-scale data sets from our industrial partner have yielded promising results.

Abstract: Process quality planning is an important activity of quality assurance. It aims to determine manufacturing processes with appropriate process capability to produce product characteristics. Quality function deployment (QFD) is a powerful tool for quality planning, which starts with identifying customer needs and ends with determining process plans. However, most studies on quality planning by QFD are limited to the product planning stage. The approach to process quality planning through QFD has rarely been discussed. This paper adopts the optimal QFD model and further develops it for process quality planning. By incorporating an empirical capability function for process elements, a composite process capability index (CCp) is presented to reflect the overall process quality level. Constraints including technical feasibility, correlations among process elements, project budget and development time are considered. A case study of the numerical control (NC) machining process quality for a thin-walled complex window frame of airship is given to illustrate how the proposed model can be effectively applied by process quality team to determine the optimal target level of process elements concerning with resources utilization .

Abstract: TRIZ, the Russian acronym of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, is a useful tool that can solve the problem of "how to do" effectively in the innovative design process, while QFD (Quality Function Deployment) is able to settle the problem of "what to do". Although the potential of using both QFD and TRIZ in the product design process is huge, there are little tools to integrate these two methods effectively. In this research, we describe an algorithm that can integrate QFD and TRIZ effectively for the purpose of the innovative design process. The core of the algorithm is to identify the contradictions in TRIZ by defining rules based on HOQ (House of Quality) in QFD. A software tool called TRIZmatrix is developed based on this algorithm. Application of the algorithm to the case of the airbag problem is studied in detail. The software application and the case study show the advantage of this algorithm for CAI (computer aided innovation) software development.

Abstract: We propose a groupware tool supporting the Software Quality Function Deployment approach to software requirements validation. The design challenge is to involve several stakeholders, having conflicting views and attitudes which may be difficult to reconcile, in the requirements validation. The adopted approach integrates collaboration and negotiation support. Negotiation models inspired the development of a set of mechanisms promoting integrative attitudes and avoiding distributive ones. Experiments with the tool revealed some usability problems, but also showed that it is convenient to use and beneficial promoting consensus.

Abstract: In today’s competitive business environment, it is extremely important to offer customers exactly the products they want. Software product lines have the potential to enable companies to offer a large variety of products while still being able to manage the complexity caused by this increased number of products. But offering a large range of variants does not necessarily mean increased profits, as many manufacturing companies had to notice in the early 1990ies. The task of Product Portfolio Planning is the development of a product portfolio that optimally satisfies customer demands and at the same time restricts the number of products offered. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a well-known and successfully used Quality Management method that can help companies to identify true customer needs and the features needed to fulfil these needs. This paper demonstrates how QFD can be used for Product Portfolio Planning, thus offering potentially great benefits.

Abstract: One of the most important steps in Web site quality evaluation projects is the choice of which aspects of the site to consider. The aspects constitute the model of the site itself and should be identified and evaluated based on the objectives of all stakeholders. In some cases it is possible to adopt standard “syntactic” models. Where this is not possible it is necessary to “personalize” the evaluation model so that it takes into account the semantics of the site or sites under assessment. This adaptation takes time and resources. In this paper we put forth a modular approach that supports the definition of detailed semantic models for the evaluation of Web sites of tourist destinations, starting from a common meta-model. The methodology — referred to as “quality model factory” — is based on the identification of unique elements of diverse types of tourist destinations.

Abstract: Build on Use Cases to Deliver Higher-Quality, Higher-Value SoftwareYou can dramatically improve software quality and value by integrating use cases with best-practice software quality engineering disciplinesRichard Denney presents practical, cost-effective techniques that help your entire development organization deliver superior softwareUsing realistic examples, Denney demonstrates how to complement use cases with Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Software Reliability Engineering (SRE), Model-Based Specification (preconditions, postconditions, and invariants), Requirements Configuration Management, and Project Portfolio Management Denney's techniques address challenges faced by project and product managers, team leads, developers, designers, software engineers, and testers alike These techniques offer immense value no matter what methodology you use-from the Unified Process to Extreme Programming Use QFD to make sure you release products that are true to your business drivers Drive your project's vision vertically, from senior management and marketing to the development team Align/synchronize distributed development horizontally across component teams, product teams, and business groups Use SRE to maximize reliability and customer satisfaction-while minimizing engineering costs Build use case operational profiles that help you spend development dollars more intelligently Get solid metrics that tell you when it's time to stop testing Use Model-Based Specification to sharpen your analysis of potential failures Understand precondition and postcondition realities they never mentioned in "Use Case 101" Design effective test cases using preconditions, postconditions, and invariants Use Configuration Management of Use Cases to help your company work smarter Leverage use cases in Project Portfolio Management-quite possibly the most valuable process improvement you can make Calculate ROI on your company's investments in a requirements management tool and process© Copyright Pearson Education All rights reserved

Abstract: Quality function deployment (QFD) has attracted much attention in not only the quality management field but also other engineering fields. The original concept of QFD is focused only on the voice of customers, which means that the needs of customers should be satisfied from the design stage of products. However, some problems were found in using subjective and qualitative data when constructing a house of quality (HOQ). To solve the problems, Wasserman presented a methodology to consider correlation weights on the top matrix of HOQ, but the weights are subjective data and can not guarantee consistency and objectivity. The Wasserman’s weights are randomly determined under subjective conditions. This research applies Taguchi’s robust design method as another method for obtaining the HOQ top matrix weights. With the new weights, S/N-QFD is deployed, and the result of S/N-QFD is compared with W-QFD. As an application example, with a real process and quality data of a representative company product, the relationship and the correlation between the process characteristics and the quality characteristics are analyzed. Finally, this paper presents a new QFD processing methodology to determine the weights with more consistent and objective data.

Abstract: Integrating subsystems of manufacturing processes, material flow, organization and information to form a manufacturing system is vital to a smooth and responsive operation in the dynamic market. This article presents an integrated system framework for product design optimization in terms of cost, quality and reliability considerations, which are mapped onto the computer integrated manufacture – open system architecture (CIMOSA). The authors employ quality function deployment (QFD), value engineering (VE) and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) as part of a structured and targeted campaign to achieve quality, cost and reliability deployment objectives. The outcome facilitates the product design and development team to consider tradeoffs among the conflicts from customer attributes as well as the inherent fuzziness in the system.

Abstract: . Continuous quality improvement through process refinement is a must for survival of all industries in the contemporary market place. This is true for both manufacturing and service sectors. While manufacturing has spearheaded quality efforts, the service sector has lagged behind primarily because of inherent difficulties. Customer satisfaction is perhaps the most important performance measure for service quality. There are a number of quality dimensions in service quality, such as reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. An issue of concern is ‘how can one have a unified measure of service quality across all the dimensions?’ The intent of this paper is to determine if the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method could be used to derive a single quality index. AHP is a quantitative technique that structures a multi-attribute, multi-person and multi-period problem hierarchically so that solutions are facilitated. This paper presents the development of an AHP model and the derivation of a Quality Index through it. The model is used in a hypothetical case and a quality index was developed. The advantages of using such a technique are discussed.

Abstract: This paper joins concepts from sustainable development, business excellence, and quality function deployment to develop a vehicle that deploys a unified concept of BEST Business Excellence. Four sustainability cornerstones comprise BEST: Biophysical/Environmental Sustainability; Economic Sustainability; Social Sustainability and Technical/Technological Sustainability. European Foundation for Quality Management Business Excellence Model provides a conceptual framework to which the construct of business excellence is wedded herein. Other TQM/Excellence models provide similar frameworks. Without a deployment mechanism, good policies are no more than words and diagrams; therefore, this paper provides a BEST Deployment model.

Abstract: In order to be competitive, automotive design is now focusing on optimizing perceived qualities in terms of sound and operational efforts. Phases 1 and 2 of the four-phase quality function ...

Abstract: Data mining techniques frequently find a large number of patterns or rules, which make it very difficult for a human analyst to interpret the results and to find the truly interesting and actionable rules. Due to the subjective nature of "interestingness", human involvement in the analysis process is crucial. In this paper, we propose a novel visual data mining framework for the purpose of identifying actionable knowledge quickly and easily from discovered rules and data. This framework is called the Opportunity Map. It is inspired by some interesting ideas from Quality Engineering, in particular Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and the House of Quality. It associates summarized data or discovered rules with the application objective using an interactive matrix, which enables the user to quickly identify where the opportunities are. The proposed system can be used to visually analyze discovered rules, and other statistical properties of the data. The user can also interactively group actionable attributes and values, and see how they affect the targets of interest. Combined with drill-down and comparative analysis, the user can analyze rules and data at different levels of detail. The proposed visualization framework thus represents a systematic and yet flexible method of rule analysis. Applications of the system to large-scale data sets from our industrial partner have yielded promising results.